1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power line equipment, and more specifically to equipment used to bypass a working power line fuse when a fuse is being inspected or changed.
Fuse devices are used in electrical transmission lines to protect the transmission lines from current overloads. When fuses need to be checked or changed, a hot line jumper or mack is conventionally used to direct current around the fuse. When this is done, the fuse can then be removed for inspection or replacement. Hot line jumpers are usually attached to the line by means of a hot stick, or a person wearing rubber gloves. This method can be very hazardous, especially when working around junction poles or where the transmission line goes underground. It also requires the use of a bucket truck and several men. The proximity of the workers to the high voltage line is in itself dangerous.
2. Description of the Related Art
To solve this problem, several jumpering devices have been developed in the prior art. Examples of these jumpering devices would include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,499 to Smith, Jr; U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,851 to Steinmayor, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,944 to Curtis; U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,056 to Montmollin; U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,965 to Wood; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,630 to McCloud, et al. All of these prior art jumpering devices, however, suffer from the disadvantage that they are not capable of being bent in a transverse direction and therefore are difficult to connect between the appropriate contact points to allow the re-fusing operation.
The present invention overcomes this disadvantage by providing a flexible power line fuse bypass device which is easily connected to the electrical contacts on either side of the fuse to bypass the fuse. This tool provides a person to be able to stay at a safe distance and also eliminates the risk of having a phase-to-phase fault which could prove catastrophic.
The present invention relates to a power line fuse bypass having a first terminal for connecting to a first contact on one side of an electrical transmission line fuse, and a second terminal for connecting to a second contact on the opposite side of said fuse. An electrically conductive wire is provided for electrically connecting the first terminal to the second terminal. A coil spring is provided in surrounding relation to the wire with one end of the coil spring connected to the first terminal, and the second end of the coil spring connected to the second terminal.